Scars
by Izzybella12
Summary: Based on the song Scars by Papa Roach. Not a songfic. Percy Jackson has tried to live his own life, but when Annabeth Chase is drowning in the water, he goes against his own advice and offers her his hand. Is this a new beginning for him or just another horrible joke? OOC sorry. Oneshot.


**Hi. Based off the song Scars by Papa Roach. Not a songfic. Thanks, hope you like it. Mortals. Oneshot permanently, or until I have no other stories and get extremely bored. **

My name is Percy Jackson. All my life I've been told that compassion is my weakness. My mom tried to tell me it wasn't weakness, that it was a blessing to be so kind, but my peers disagreed. I stood up for the bullied kids, the ones that wanted to let go, the one that didn't even know who they were anymore. Seeing as how no one else did this, I was deemed an outcast, even by the kids I worked so hard to protect.

Little bit about me. I'm in my sophomore year of high school. Compassion is still my weakness. I'll save anyone, even my worst enemy if I could. As always, I'm still an outcast. Not like anyone cares or I mind. My dad died when i was six years old in a battle in Afghanistan. He was a hero, saved his whole group except himself. Of course. I've dated a few girls, like Rachel Dare, Annabeth Chase, and once I even dated Thalia Grace. None of them actually even liked me. It was a dare. And I said yes when they asked me out, because I thought they'd be different and I might have a chance for once at love. Obviously, I've been wrong each time. I opened my heart to them, I sewed myself shut as soon as they broke me each time.

I was walking down the beach alone one night just to clear my head. My dad always loved this place, so I always come back just to be near him. I stood on the dock and looked into the murky black waters, deep in thought. Suddenly, I heard some shouting down on the sandy shore and looked towards the noise. It was Annabeth Chase and her boyfriend Luke Castellan. Annabeth was screaming at Luke, and he was telling right back. I disappeared into the shadows, trying not to be seen by the couple, as they walked towards the dock I standing on.

Annabeth would run away from Luke, he'd chase her, he'd storm away, she'd hurry after him like a lost puppy. Those two are the power couple of the high school I go to, and everyone thinks they're so perfect for eachother. If only everyone could see them now.

Annabeth stomped onto the dock, her footsteps pounding on the old wood. I could hear her screaming at her boyfriend from a while away, something about him getting drunk and flirting with some girls at a party they had just left. Apparently, it had almost gotten more intense than a few flirts if you know what I mean.

Luke followed after her, yelling that it was her fault for making him come to the party and never doing anything with him. It was her fault that he was at the party in the first place (like I believe that) and her fault that he had a drink. It was Annabeth's fault because she bores him. She apparently never wants to do anything 'fun' with him.

Annabeth stood at the end of the dock, arms crossed as she told Luke they were over. I felt like an intruder, spying on them as they fault. It's not fair to them. But I couldn't leave.

Luke's face turned red in the light of the moon. He yelled that he had been cheating on her for the last few months and she was just an ugly girl that he had wanted to use but wouldn't let him use her. She was a disappointment.

My blood boiled. Sure, Annabeth had dated me for a while, just for a dare. And when we broke up she killed a part of me, but no girl deserves to hear that, even if it's true. I didn't do anything yet though. I stood in the shadows and watched what happened next.

Annabeth yelled back, but by now Luke was too angry to use words and form a reply. So he pushed her. Annabeth fell backwards into the icy water and thrashed about for a moment. Puke- I mean Luke, just walked away, leaving Annabeth to get out of the frigid water herself. Now, not many people know this, but Annabeth Chase can't swim. I'm one of the few because my dad and her mom used to be pretty good friends, before my dad died and Mrs Chase got a divorce and moved to Brazil with her new boyfriend. But once we tried to go swimming and my dad had to save Annabeth when we went too deep.

Of course Annabeth never told anyone else. Living on an island, you don't really need to know how to swim do you? And of course she never told her boyfriend Puke (intentional typo) about the small fact that he could possibly murder her by accident. Of course not.

For a moment, I debated over what to do. Should I save her or let her drown? For a moment I really wanted to let her drown for what she did to me, to my mother and everyone that she bullied, but in the end I couldn't. I know I sound like a broken record, but compassion is my weakness. I couldn't just leave her hanging.

So that's why a black blur flew from the shadows of the bushes onto the drowning girl. She looked up at me and sputtered some more. I took that to mean "help me or I'll kill you." But that's not a very good threat especially for someone that's drowning.

I didn't even say anything. I stretched out a hand and helped her out of the water. We stood there on the dock, her shivering in a pink tank top (in the fall?) and Jean shorts, me perfectly warm in my black jacket, shirt sleeved navy blue shirt, and ripped jeans. After standing there for a moment, I asked the blonde girl if she wanted to borrow my jacket to keep herself warm. That's how i got to the point of standing in my navy blue shirt next to a girl in my oversized jacket.

I turned my head and noticed that Annabeth was staring at me. Or more importantly, my arms. I looked down and noticed that the web of small white scars creeping up my arm was visible in the moonlight. I always wear long sleeves or jackets to school, no wonder she was staring at me like I was from Mars.

"What happened to your arms?" She asked.

"Its personal," came my immediate reply. "I'd rather not share."

Annabeth nodded, although she looked a bit sad to not know the answer. Well that stinks for her because I'm not sharing. We started to walk down the dock towards the sand when Annabeth started to talk again.

"How do you handle that many scars? How can you live with skin like that if it's so... Ruined?" She asked. Thanks for those kind words Chase.

I waited for a moment to gather the exact words I wanted to use. "The scars remind me that the past is real. It's up to you to decide if it's a good past you remember or a bad one." Annabeth looked at me for a while, just stared, probably wondering if I was for real. After deciding I was, she looked away.

We walked in silence for the rest of the way back to her car. Well, I walked in mostly silence, while Annabeth kept filling me in on her tales of woe. Once, i told Annabeth "You can channel all your pain, but I can't help you fix yourself. At least j can say j tried." Once we got to her car, I was disgusted by its overall girly-ness. Her car was a bright pink Beetle. I opened the door for her after she unlocked it, and helped her in, still in my jacket. Annabeth must've realized she was still wearing it, because she asked me when we could see eachother again.

"We won't see eachother again. Tonight is our last stand." Annabeth looked up at me from the drivers seat, and stared at my outstretched hand, seeing as I intended to shake hands as a goodbye gesture. I could see in her gray eyes that she didn't understand. Of course she didn't.

"Goodbye Miss Chase."

She just looked at me. I took that as my cue to leave, so I turned around silently in the gravel of the road and strode off into the darkness of the trees surrounding the beach.

As I walked way, I heard Annabeth saying to herself, "I thought I knew Percy Jackson. It seems no one did."

* * *

><p>I was sitting on a bar stool in the local pub, The Half-Blood, when i saw an ugly pink Beetle pull up outside. Looks like she followed me.<p>

I turned ny attention back to the man standing behind the counter. "I'll take another shot," I told him, my voice wavering ever so slightly. The man, I think his name was Will, nodded at me before walking away to get my rum.

"What are you doing here?" a voice from behind me asked. I sighed. Annabeth.

"I don't think it's your business to know that."

Annabeth scowled at me. "It's my business now."

Will chose that moment to come back with my drink. "Here you go Mr. Jackson," he said, setting it down in front of me. I nodded my thanks, producing a few dollar bills from my left pocket and placing them in a pile on top of a stack of other green bills from previous shots that night.

"Will, why did you just call him Mr? You're two grades ahead of him, but you act like he's your superior!" Annabeth explained. She obviously hadn't heard. That's so ironic, having someone that knows gossip about things she doesn't care about not know the gossip for something she wants to know.

Will looked at me and I have him a shrug. "I'm sorry, but you must've missed it. It's not for me to tell, but I'll let Mr. Jackson tell you about it. It's not my story." Will turned to me now. "Just call me if you need anything else Mr. Jackson."

I smiled a bit, more like a twitch of my lips than an actual full out smile. "Will, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Mr. Jackson? Too many. Now shoo. Looks like Mrs. Castellan could use another drink. Don't want to get her mad." Will pales before rushing away.

Annabeth sat down on a bar stool next to mine and ordered a water. Will looked at her funny, but got her the desired drink. Taking a sip from her glass cup, she turned towards me to hear the story of why I'm called Mr. Jackson.

"You know that my father died yes?" She nodded. "Shortly after that, when i was seven years old, my mom died too. Heart attack. Anyways, I was an orphan. None of my relatives that i visited and knew wanted me. They had their own kids and were too busy for me. One night, I ran away. I was tired of being passed down through my relatives, hearing a different sob story frim each one on why they couldn't keep me. So one night, I ran away.

"It was a cold night, and I was just eight years old. I didn't know where I was going, as long as it was away from my relatives. I kept running until I found a place that looked inviting to a little kid, and I went in. It turned out to be this pub, The Half-Blood. I went in, ordered myself an Apple juice from the menu, and a guy named Chiron served it to me. He asked me why I was here and what I was doing, where my parents were, and if I was waiting for someone to come. So I told him my story."

I looked over at Annabeth, to find her deep in thought. I sighed and continued, missing the tear that rolled down the blonde's cheek. "Chiron took me to the owner, Mr. D, as everyone called him. Turns out he was second cousins with my dad. Mr. D raised me since I was eight years old, and Chiron helped when Mr. D www on vacation, which was often."

Annabeth looked up at me, since my stool was higher, and finally realized all I had been through. I continued, "That's why the workers call me Mr. Jackson. I've kept the last name of my mother and when Mr. D dies, I takeover seeing as I'm basically his son."

Annabeth didn't leave after that explanation, instead she stayed and told me about Luke and how she hated him, how her friends were jealous of her and a lot of other stuff I couldn't have cared less about. She had started up on how homework was too easy, when I had to interrupt.

"Annabeth, I can't help you fix yourself. I'm not even sure I can say I tried. I'm sorry, but it's about time I moved on with my own life. You're making me insane with this talking. That's all i can say. Good bye." I stood up to the gaping mouth of Annabeth Chase and walked away to my bedroom upstairs.

I muttered as I walked up the back stairs, "I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut. My weakness is that i care too much. The scars remind us that the past is real. I tear my heart open just to feel..."


End file.
